<!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd">
<html>
<head>
  <title>BBC NEWS | Americas | Convention blown off course</title>
  <meta name="keywords" content="BBC, News, BBC News, news online, world, uk, international, foreign, british, online, service">
  <meta name="OriginalPublicationDate" content="2008/09/01 02:40:20">
  <meta name="UKFS_URL" content="/1/hi/world/americas/7591129.stm">
  <meta name="IFS_URL" content="/2/hi/americas/7591129.stm">
  <meta name="ROBOTS" content="NOARCHIVE">
  <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8">
  <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="/shared/css/printthispage.css">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000" topmargin="0" leftmargin="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0">
<div class="logo">
  <img src="/nol/shared/img/printer_friendly/news_logo.gif" width="163" height="34" alt="BBC NEWS">
</div>
<div class="headline">
  Convention blown off course
</div>




  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    <div class="bo">	
  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
  
    </div>	
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    <div class="bo">	
  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
  
    </div>	
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  	
    
      <!--Smvb-->
    	  
  	
    
      <table >
    	  
  	
    
      <tr>
    	  
  	
    
      <td valign="bottom">
    	  
  	
    
      <!--Smvb-->
    	  
  	
    
      
                        By Jonathan Beale
                    
    	  
  	
    
      <br />
    	  
  	
    
      
                        BBC News, St Paul
                    
    	  
  	
    
      <!--Emvb-->
    	  
  	
    
      </td>
    	  
  	
    
      </tr>
    	  
  	
    
      </table>
    	  
  	
    
      <br />
    	  
  	
    
      <!--Emvb-->
    	  
  	
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    <div class="bo">	
  
  	
    
      <b>
    	  
  	
    
      Years of careful, painstaking preparations have been completed. The stage is set. The battle is about to begin.
    	  
  	
    
      </b>
    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      But for the Republicans the choreography has been blown off course by events entirely out of their hands.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      A hurricane, a natural disaster, an act of God is about to spoil the Grand Old Party's celebrations.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      On the face of it this may already appear to be a disaster for the Republicans, even before Gustav has struck.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      Some of the camera crews and reporters who had booked their flights and hotel rooms to Minneapolis are now on their way to the Gulf Coast instead.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      The TV headlines are consumed with the hurricane's imminent arrival, not the mood of the Republicans.

    	  
  	
    
      <!--SvideoInStoryC-->
    	  
  	
    
      <!--Semp-->
    	  
  	
    
      <!--Swarning-->
    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      Please turn on JavaScript.
    	  
  	
    
       Media requires JavaScript to play. 
    	  
  	
    
      <!--Ewarning-->
    	  
  	
    
      <!--Eemp-->
    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      Republicans scale down plans for the first day of their convention
    	  
  	
    
      <!--EvideoInStoryC-->
    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      And then there are all the reminders of Hurricane Katrina, three years on.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      That was a moment of national shame for many - including an angry John McCain, who called the federal and local response to Katrina a "disgrace".

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      Katrina has also been used by the Democrats as a reason for the public to turn their backs on the party that elected George W Bush.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      Yet there could be a silver lining for the silver-haired senator.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      Gustav gives Mr McCain an opportunity to show how he would be a different president from George W Bush.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      It offers a chance to show the country that a McCain administration would not be four more years of the same - as Barack Obama claims.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      <b>
    	  
  	
    
      Hearts and wallets
    	  
  	
    
      </b>
    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin have already been to the Gulf Coast to witness the preparations.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      It was from there that he announced that most of the activity of the first day of the convention would be suspended.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      He told his delegates that it was time to take off their Republican hats and put their American ones on; a time to open their hearts and their wallets for those people whose lives could be ruined by Gustav.

    	  
  	
  
    </div>	
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    <div class="bo">	
  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      It is a wise move for a candidate whose convention slogan is "Service" and "Country First".

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      Those words, illuminated all around the convention hall, would have looked rather odd if the Republicans had ignored the plight of those living on the Gulf Coast.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      In short, the order has gone out - there will be no fiddling while Rome burns.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      So, no razzmatazz on the opening day. On Monday there will be no political speeches, just procedural activities that will allow the convention to officially get under way.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      In the words of Rick Davis, the chairman of the McCain campaign "we want to be respectful of the situation".

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      We are even unsure when normal service will be resumed. There will be updates every day to react to what has happened on the Gulf Coast.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      <b>
    	  
  	
    
      Balloons at the ready
    	  
  	
    
      </b>
    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      But in reality the preparations are continuing.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      Microphones and lights are being tested, 200,000 balloons have been suspended above the stage - ready to be dropped when John McCain closes the proceedings.

    	  
  	
  
    </div>	
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    <div class="bo">	
  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      The show will go on, but not quite as planned. And that does not seem to worry the delegates and supporters from all corners of the states.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      Take Kim Skipper - a delegate who has come all the way from Alaska. She told me that she still thought this would be a "great convention".

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      And, like many of the early arrivals, agrees with the way the party has reacted to the approaching hurricane.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      "I know they [John McCain and Sarah Palin] would not have wanted a party atmosphere while our neighbours to the south are suffering."

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      Things are not as bad as they might look for the Republicans and John McCain.

    	  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
    
      Gustav may have just handed him the best opportunity to show that he is different from the last lot, that he is (for a moment at least) above party politics, and that he will be true to his word - putting his country first.

    	  
  	
  
    </div>	
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    <div class="bo">	
  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
  
    </div>	
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    <div class="bo">	
  
  	
    
      <p />
    	  
  	
  
    </div>	
  



<div class="footer">
Story from BBC NEWS:<br>
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/7591129.stm<br>
<br>
Published: 2008/09/01 02:40:20 GMT<br>
<br>
&copy; BBC MMVIII<br>
</div>
</body>
</html>
